Early in 2014, Nicky Hager was leaked a large number of email and online
conversations from Cameron Slater’s Whale Oil blog. Many of these were
between Slater and his personal allies on the hard right, revealing an ugly and
destructive style of politics. But there were also many communications with the
prime minister’s office and other Cabinet ministers in the National
Government. They show us a side of Prime Minister John Key and his government of
which most New Zealanders are completely unaware.
Key has constructed an easy-going and relaxed public image, declaring to the
public that ‘there’s no room for negative campaigning in New Zealand’.
The reality is very different. His government has worked hand in hand with
Slater and his collaborators in a sustained campaign of personal attacks against
their political enemies, a deliberate but hidden stragegy to avoid being held
responsible for negative campaigning.
Dirty Politics continues the story that began in Hager’s best-selling book
The Hollow Men, investigating the way that underhand and deceptive politics
poisons the political environment for everyone. If you care about integrity and
ethics in politics, then this book will be disturbing but essential reading.
About the Author
Nicky Hager is known internationally for his investigative writing. His first
book, Secret Power (1996), won him a US journalism prize and led to a yearlong
European Parliament inquiry. Since then, his books, contributions to books, and
articles have been published in many countries. His 1999 book, Secret and Lies,
exposed an unscrupulous public relations campaign and Seeds of Distrust (2002)
was a study of political management of the controversial genetic engineering
issue. Hager’s fourth book, The Hollow Men (2008), was a detailed exposé of
three years of politics within the conservative New Zealand National Party. The
book, which prompted the resignation of the party leader when it was released,
was adapted into a stage production and feature-length documentary film. His
fifth book, Other People’s Wars (2011), is the story of 10 years of New
Zealand involvement in the war in Afghanistan and the wider war on terror. It
was also adapted into a stage production. All these books were best-sellers and
were published by Craig Potton Publishing. Hager has degrees in physics and
philosophy, and lives in Wellington.